Characteristics of ultrafine particle emission change depending on the placement of ventilation systems in 3D printer working environment

This study evaluated the emission characteristics of ultrafine particles emitted during material extrusion type 3D printer, called Desktop 3D printer, operation in the test bed and mock-up environmental conditions respectively. For the measurement, a condensation particle counter (CPC) and scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) were employed. In the test-bed evaluation, representative materials widely used nowadays such as ABS, PLA, TPU, PC, etc, emitted higher than the UFP criteria (3.5 ×1011) of 2D printer test method RAL-UZ 171. Particle sizes emitted from materials were found to be less than 200 nm. For the mock-up environment, seven different Desktop 3D printers and mechanical ventilation devices are used to compare the reduction rates of UFP according to the kind and placement of ventilation systems. When the ventilation equipment was installed on the ceiling, the reduction efficiency of UFP emission was not confirmed clearly while the reduction rates were significantly reduced when installed on the window.